Oil well pumping apparatus



Oct. 15, 1935. D. Mi HAMMETT OIL WELL PUMPIG APPARATUS Filed Deo. 7, 1954 Dal/1d M Hamme# |NvENToR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in oil well pumping apparatus, and has for its objects; to provide a means and method of forcing the uid in the well to the surface 5 whereby less power is required to pump the fluid,

the eiiciency of the pump is increased, and less strain is placed upon the sucker rods; without impairing the safety of the equipment used.

Heretofore, the fluid has been raised either in the tubing or in the casing, but not in both tubing and casing as with my invention, and in the practice of my invention the fluid is caused to travel thru both tubing and casing with the results hereinafter mentioned, and at the same time.

With the above and other objects in view which wil be disclosed as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features hereinafter set forth, shown in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals represent similar parts thruout the several views:

Fig. l is a view in cross section of a string of pipe in a Well, and a conventional casing head on said pipe, and also showing in side elevation a string of tubing therein carrying a packer and a pump, and a string of sucker rods in said tubing, together with other conventionalwell apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section of the well head shown in Fig. 1, but with a pipe leading from the casing to the ow line.

I represents a conventional string of casing in a well, 2 a string of tubing therein and with said tubing having apertures 3 near the bottom thereof and also apertures ll near the top thereof, and with said casing carrying a conventional casing head 5 with a tubing support 6 and a stufng box 'I thru which a conventional s-tring of sucker rods 8 is run to a conventional pump or working barrel 9 which is attached to said tubing 2 thru a conventional packer I0 on the end of said tubing. A customary lead line II runs from said tubing to the flow tanks which are not shown. The outlets I2 of the casing head are closed, forming a partition across the head of the casing. 'Ille packer seals ofi and forms a partition between casing and tubing. The pump is submerged or partially submerged in the liquid to be pumped, which said liquid is indicated by broken lines I3. A conventional gas anchor I4 may be attached to the bot-tom end of the pump. A pipe I5 may, if desired, be connected into the casinghead thru one of the outlets I2 therefrom and into the flow line I I, thus permitting the iiuid to flow directly from the casing to the iiow line.

In operation, sucker rods 8 are reciprocated in the usual manner to operate pump 9, with a result that the fluid being thereby raised passes 5 thru the packer Ii and into the tubing 2, and is free -Iso-then flow either up within said tubing or out of the tubing thru apertures 3 and into the casing I at a point above the packer and also above the pump or pump valves, and in the latter 10 instance may travel upwardly thru both the tubing and the casing until the top ofthe well is reached, whereupon that portion of the fluid which may be traveling thru the tubing continues to travel therein until it empties into the lead line 15 I I, and that part of the fluid which may be traveling in the casing and outside of the tubing reenters the tubing thru the apertures 1I in said tubing and commingles with the fluid in said tubing and flows therefrom into said ilow line or lead line I I the same as does that portion of the fluid which may have traveled up within said tubing.

It is obvious that packer I and the closed casing head 5 provides a seal for that portion of the casing which lies between them. It is also obvious that the pump 9 may be placed on the tubing 2 above the packer i0. It is further obvious that the .apertures 3 and 4 must be positioned in tubing 2 at points above both the valves of the pump and the partition formed by the packer and below the partition formed by the casing head; that is, the apertures must be intermediate of said casing head on the one hand land said pump and packer on the other. Furthermore it is obvious that instead of owing the fluid out of the tubing into the flow line, the same results could be accomplished by closing, or leaving open, said flow line or lead line II and connecting said line into the casing head 5 thru one of its outlets I2.

The result is that the uid being pumped has a freer and more unrestricted Vflow than it would have if conned to a travel in the tubing alone and that the slippage or load loss is not as great because of the larger cross sectional area of the travel, and that as a consequence: 'less power is required to lift the load and less strain is placed on the string of sucker rods with a further result that not only are said rods less subject to breakage but also less subject to elongation or stretch under the load. Moreover the pressure within and without the tubing is equalized and the tubing is not caused to be stretched or elongated as in the case of its conventional manner of use. As a further consequence of the lessening of the stretching of the rods and of the tubing under pumping, 55

less loss of stroke in the pump results, and with more travel of the pump plunger in the pump, greater pumping eciency is secured. The total result is the accomplishment of the objects of the invention vas heretofore set forth. The same result may of course be eiected by connecting a branch line from one of the casing head openings I2to the lead line Il, either with or without the apertures 4 in the tubing, or by closing the lead line l I from the tubing 2 and retaining apertures 4 in said tubing and connecting the lead line Il directly in to one of the openings I2 of the casing head 5, it being immaterial how the fluid outlet from the tubing 4and casing is effected, for with my invention the tubing may serve only as a support for the packer I!! and pump 9 and as a guide for the sucker rods 8, permitting the fluid to flow upwardly in the casing along the lines of least resistance and unimpeded except for the wall of the casing, the tubing and. the string of sucker rods which may or may not have thereon the conventional sucker rod guides which prevent the sucker rods from rubbing on and wearing the tubing.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an oil well, the combination of a string of casing, a string of tubing therein, a partition between said casing and said tubing at the upper end of said casing, a partition between said casing and said tubing at the lower end of said tubing,

an outlet for the passage of fluid from said tubing into said casing and situate intermediate of said partitions, an upper outlet from said casing, a pump connected into the lower end of said tubing,

and a string of sucker rods passing thru said tubof and above said last named partition, another aperture in said tubing at the upper end thereof and below said first named partition, a pump connected into the lower end of said tubing, and a string of sucker rods passing thru said tubing and operativelyconnected with said pump.

3. In an oil well, the combination of a string of casing, a string of tubing therein, a partition between said casing land said tubing at the upper end thereof, a partition between said casing and said tubing at the lower end of said tubing, an outlet for the passage of fluid from said tubing at the lower end thereof and above said last named partition, an outlet from said casing and tubing at the topv end thereof, a pump connected into the lower end of said tubing, and a string of sucker rods passing thru said tubing and operatively connected with said pump.

DAVID M. HAMMETT. 

